May 29, 2026 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to pot anycomments or additional links relating toany space issues, even if unrelatd to the links below.
- Stoke Space touts on-going tank tests for its Nova rocket first stage
No launch date yet announced for this new rocket.
- Northrop Grumman touts preparations to launch Katalyst’s Swift rescue mission
The June launch will be the last flight of the air-launched Pegasus rocket, deployed from the Stargazer L-1011 aircraft.
- Short video showing how the Russians made Chris Hadfield’s Soyuz seat
Very much worth watch. To quote Hadfield, “The artisans pour gypsum around my body, wait for it to dry, haul me out, and then sculpt a perfect mold of my butt.”
- On May 29, 1974 the Soviet Union launched unmanned orbiter Luna 22 to map the lunar surface
It was the last lunar orbiter for almost 20 years, until Clementine was launched in 1994.
- On May 29, 1999 the space shuttle Discovery became the first shuttle to dock at ISS
It was Discovery’s 26th flight, whose purpose was to help outfit the then two module station as its assembly was just beginning.
- In 2012 SpaceX’s Dragon capsule made its first berthing with ISS, captured by the robot arm
The beginning of America’s transition back to its capitalist roots.
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”The June launch will be the last flight of the air-launched Pegasus rocket, deployed from the Stargazer L-1011 aircraft.”
Everyone assumes this (including me), but has this actually been announced?
mkent: The NASA press release I reported on May 9, 2026 stated “Northrop Grumman will integrate LINK into the Pegasus rocket in early June at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. An L-1011 aircraft will deploy the rocket from the Marshall Islands later that month.”
”The June launch will be the ***last flight*** of the…Pegasus…”
I should have been more specific. It is the “last flight” part of the quote I was asking about.
mkent: See my November 2025 post announcing the decision to choose Pegasus:
See also this article.
mkent,
Yes, it is the last Pegasus-XL. This one was built from the last parts in inventory. This last launch was announced last November.
They will not have to take care of the L-1011 aircraft anymore.
Boston bolide?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=us2ypR21A3A&pp=ugUHEgVlbi1VUw%3D%3D&ra=m